Let’s be reminded of the preceding verses.
1Peter 4:12-14 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
In our previous studies, we learned that we should most definitely expect challenges as followers of Christ. When we recognize what Jesus did for us, we have the opportunity through our own difficulties, because of faith in God’s grace, to offer up our lives as a sacrifice to Him. This should cause us to rejoice as we are assured of our relationship with God as His children and look forward to our future in Heaven with Him. The next two verses in this section of scripture continue building on the truths Peter has written.
Peter 4:15-16 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
We are to make certain that our suffering is not because of our own wrong choices. We can bring all sorts of unhappiness and difficulty into our lives simply because we are not careful to consider our actions. The admonition Peter uses is definitive – ‘make sure’, or in the KJV, ‘but let’. This is like saying, ‘You should in no way’, or ‘let none of you’. It is an intense instruction towards Christians. Notice there is no possibility of an exception using this imperative. Our text reads, ‘make sure that none of you’. This is important; this is absolutely necessary and worthy of our attention.
We are prone to explain our wrong behavior with the word ‘but’ or ‘they did …’. This puts blame for our sin on someone or something else. We are unable to control circumstances and others’ actions; however we can, in God’s strength, control our own behavior. We are to take special care that we do not cause our own problems brought on because of our own misguided doings. Some people can become highly creative in weaving all kinds of excuses and stories in order to make their own failures look like someone else’s problem. The reality is that God always knows the entire truth and our motivation.
How do you ‘make sure’ of something?
What parameters do you place around yourself to keep from causing your own problems?
“But let not any one of you, who have the honour to bear the Christian name, …”, Philip Doddridge N.T.
The quote above causes me to remember who I am representing. Ultimately, if I call myself a Believer, my life should reflect the character of one who is following Christ. It truly is an honor to live for Him; a privilege to be a Christian and to uphold the laws of God.
1Peter 2:12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Consider. We may not be able to avoid suffering as a Christian, however we must avoid sin which causes suffering. We must be purposed and intentioned to act according to God’s ways. The emphasis is that we make a point of doing the right thing at all times. You can gather that this behavior does not always automatically happen. If we are unprepared and have our head somewhere up in the clouds, then we are likely to act without thinking. Unless we are mindful of doing what pleases God, we will naturally do what pleases our self and senses. We will answer criticism with harsh words and may even show our anger with physical gestures. Think of a child stomping their foot or someone clenching their fists.
The apostle addresses specific problems prevalent to the culture and lifestyle he saw around him. These were the obvious pitfalls at that time. This does not mean other forms of sin are excluded. In other words, we may be able to say we are not a murderer, thief, evildoer, or troublesome meddler; but this does not negate the general application of Peter’s admonition. Our words and actions should glorify God’s name.
We’ll quickly go through each defined behavior listed so that we are complete in our study. Murderer is exactly what we would think – it is homicide; an unlawful killing of another human being. A thief is someone who steals, who rips off another person, who takes something without the owner’s consent. An evildoer is a general term encompassing the first two descriptions of murderer and thief – basically we are not to be part of anything that will cause the hand of justice to come down upon us. This would include any criminal act, someone who is wicked or guilty of injustice and wrong. When we suffer as an evildoer, we choose to go against public law; punishment is our own fault, it is deserved.
If we repeatedly and intentionally go against God, we must take a critical look at our own heart motivation. Someone living for God will seek to glorify Him in all things. We will make mistakes and at times fail in our thoughts and actions, but this will not be our lifestyle. Instead, we will be characterized by seeking to follow God, asking forgiveness when we fail.
Think! How are you doing? Are your words and actions – including attitude and thoughts – pleasing to God?
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
The last action we are warned against in 1Peter 4:15 is being a ‘troublesome meddler’. Basically, this is being a busybody in other people’s affairs. This may hit a bit closer to home. Whereas we might easily consider ourselves having no problems with purposefully breaking the law, most of us have at one time or another meddled with other’s concerns. Being a troublesome meddler is inspecting someone else’s decisions, often at the expense of paying attention to our own. Consider your thoughts, are they filled with things that don’t really concern you? Do you involve yourself in the matters of others, and tell them how to manage things?
We are not here to judge others; God does the judging. We are not here to point out all the injustices we see, especially those of unbelievers. We are not to be consumed with letting others know how they might have done better. Let’s not become so consumed with figuring out the intentions of others that we neglect to be mindful of our own. Have you been in a situation where someone shares gossip in the form of a prayer request or concern? Often, we do not need all the details of a circumstance dumped on us. Consider asking yourself what the purpose is of sharing something? Is it to edify or build up or to make yourself look better or injure someone’s reputation?
1Th 4:11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,
2Th 3:11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
1Ti 5:13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
Our text moves on to verse 16, explaining how we are to respond to suffering as a Christian.
1Peter 4:16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
The words ‘but if’ suggest it is possible that Christians will suffer. Let’s look at what is meant by suffering as a Christian. Most of us would be able to place a definition on suffering, although how we might define suffering is probably a bit different and less intrusive than what was experienced when this epistle was written. This same word for ‘suffer’ is used in Acts 1:3, and is translated “passion”, of the suffering of Christ. Christians were persecuted directly because of their faith. The Jews had been subject to the Law and had built up a hierarchy of priests and religious leaders. Anyone contradicting the long-accepted sacrifices and rituals was seen as a threat. In fact, to say the Law was no longer needed was a direct contempt against Judaism. Yet Christ had come to abolish the Law and those who had left Judaism understood that faith alone in His death and resurrection was the only way to be saved. If you step back for a moment and place yourself in this volatile environment, you can almost feel the clashing of beliefs.
At this time in American society, we are not forced to follow one belief or another. We still have the freedom to choose Biblical Christianity without experiencing much discrimination, if any. Yet, in small ways, consider how you might experience difficulty because you are a Christian. Perhaps you have felt ostracized by friends or family because you no longer accept the same traditions. Even worse, you follow the Bible as your guide for living and there are clear instructions on what is right and wrong – many of which do not fit our culture today. In any case, whether we are speaking of Christians of old or modern-day, we are not to be ashamed of who we are and who we follow.
How would you describe someone who is ashamed? Looking up the definition in our English dictionary, we read it is “someone who is embarrassed or guilty because of their actions”. If we are innocent, there is no need to hang our head low or hide. Now consider, if we are utterly convinced Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that He is the only way to our redemption, then why would we be embarrassed? Why would we feel guilty? ‘Ashamed’ translated from the original text, means ‘to have a feeling of fear or shame which prevents a person from doing a thing’. This definition also holds the possibility of being ashamed before the Lord Jesus at His judgment seat or being ashamed of suffering as a Christian. Are we ashamed to be called a Believer? This begs us to contemplate if we are truly sold out to Christ. When push comes to shove, where do we stand? What do we proclaim? Have you ever backed away from an opportunity because of fear of what someone might think of you?
“But is to glorify God in this name.” We are to glorify God in our representation of Him. This means He is praised, and He is honored; His attributes, His actions and His name are lifted high. It is often easy for us to think ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when it comes to our decisions and the words we share. We seemingly think we place God in a pocket only to be taken out when we desire His blessings or need His intervention. It is good for us to remember there is never a moment in which we are separated from God in our relationship with Him. We are not to be ashamed of God – who He is and what He has done. We should be ashamed when our fear of man takes precedence over our representation of Jesus. We should be ashamed when we choose to follow a path of sin rather than live pleasing to our Savior. This is what the Apostle Peter was trying to get across to those who were suffering because of their faith. We cannot control the responses and actions of others, but we can trust in God’s strength which allows us to represent Him well, through good times and the not-so-good times. Adversity allows us an opportunity to give glory to God’s name as we stand firm in our faith and pursue righteousness. God’s holiness sets a standard for us to follow.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Revelation 15:4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
1Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Why do you call yourself a Christian? A Christian is a Christ-follower. Each of us is identified by the name given to us at birth. Many of us are identified by our strengths, likes, talents, character, and position. If you were to make a list of those things which would describe you, what would we read? Would Christian, Believer, God’s child, be at the top of your list? In fact, being a Christian should not only be at the top of our list but should be the overriding value of everything else which describes our character. We are to live in Christ; “Yet not I but through Christ in me”.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
